Victory For Mumbai Dockworkers

After a long and ugly dispute with a Maersk contractor implicated in muggings of unionists in the Port of Mumbai, India, a settlement with the union has been reached.

The International Transport Workers' Federation last month received the good news that Allcargo has signed a collective agreement with the Transport and Dock Workers' Union (TDWU) in India.

The TDWU asked for the ITF's support in 2007 after drivers were kidnapped and beaten for trying to join the union.

MUA National Secretary and ITF dockers chair Paddy Crumlin led the push to have global network terminal Maersk put pressure on the contractors behind bashings.

In June the national secretary, ITF and Indian union representatives demanded that shipping and port giant Møller-Maersk get rid of the contractor responsible if they failed to reach a settlement with the union.

The ITF Maersk network was successful in getting sacked Indian truck drivers their jobs back after they went out on strike over company thugs beating up their workmates.

Now thanks to ITF pressure the company has signed a collective agreement with the union.

In a letter of thanks to all concerned P. K. Raman, Indian dock workers secretary expressed "profound gratitude for the unstinted solidarity and strategic support" of the ITF, especially David Cockroft, Paddy Crumlin and Dave Hiendel (USA)

The new collective agreement ensures:

(1) all the TT Drivers will be paid for all the working hours,

(2) the wages will be linked to inflation with neutralization by additional payment of Special Allowance / Fixed Dearness Allowance periodically,